The goal of this proposed AHRQ Minority Infrastructure Development Program (M-RISP) project is to strengthen the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) infrastructure to enhance the capacity of individual faculty members to conduct health services research aimed at improving the quality of health services for African Americans and vulnerable populations and eliminating racial/ethnic health care disparities. MSM, in partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Kerr White Institute for Health Services Research (KLWI), will provide postdoctoral didactic educational, experiential, and mentored-research training and biostatistical and data management support to 9 MSM junior faculty members to enhance their abilities for health services research as independent investigators: three beginning year 01; three beginning year 02 as postdoctoral fellows; and three as faculty principal investigators for individual projects. The general philosophy of this postdoctoral training program is that junior faculty will learn by doing, given a supportive environment of experienced mentors and collaborators. Each fellow, identified through academic departments, will devote at least 50% time and effort to training for a two-year period. Fellows will receive didactic training and participate in bimonthly meetings, weekly methods seminars, semi-annual mentored-research conferences, and will participate in all aspects of ongoing research projects. Each fellow and faculty investigator will also be required to prepare a PHS 398 research proposal application to be reviewed and submitted for external funding. MSM is a nationally recognized, historically black institution established to recruit and train minority and other students as physicians, biomedical scientists and public health professionals committed to the primary healthcare needs of the underserved. While many experienced clinicians have interest in health services research, few have the skills and experience for independent research. This program will enhance the research skills and experience of nine (9) clinical faculty, resulting in a stronger research faculty, an expanded health services research program, and enhanced research productivity of extramural reserch, peer-reviewed publications and national leadership on eliminating health disparities.